1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to aquatic sports watercraft, and more particularly to hydrodynamic ridge devices that can be retrofitted onto the bottom of existing small aquatic sports watercraft, such as surfboards, sailboards, wakeboards, and the like, to capture lateral water flow and redirect it longitudinally and thereby provide-improved stability, speed, control, and performance of the watercraft.
2. Background Art
There are several patents directed toward hydrodynamic devices that can be retrofitted onto existing aquatic sports watercraft. However, most of these devices are limited in their functionality, and some are restricted in the manner of application and/or the configuration of the ridges, channels or grooves.
Olsen, U.S. Design Pat. No. 323,691, illustrates an approach of configuring grooves into the bottom of a surfboard as an integral part of the surfboard. This method is permanent and does not allow for different configurations or shapes.
Stedman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,980 discloses a group of elongate extruded molding strips originally designed and intended for use as automobile protective side-molding that can be A retrofitted onto wave riding vehicles. The molding strips are semicircular or half-round in transverse cross section and have an angled leading edge at one end.
Lewis, U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,331 discloses a flexible fin for surfboards, sailboards and other watercraft, which comprises a thin core sheet made of laminated fiberglass sandwiched between two slabs of closed-cell polyurethane foam. The flexible fin provides for sharper turns while increasing the buoyancy of the craft.
Harness, U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,347 discloses a rectangular guidance pad, made from flexible plastic material having a flat top surface provided with a layer of self-adhesive material retained by a peel-off backing, and an array of parallel longitudinal V-shaped raised ridges integrally molded on the bottom side. The pad can be retrofitted onto the bottom side of an aquatic sports device such as a surfboard just forward of the fin, for which a cutaway region is provided at the aft edge of the pad. The parallel ridges define channels therebetween to enhance lateral stability by guiding water flow through the channels formed between the ridges.
Fryar, U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,549 discloses a momentum induced wakeboard stabilization system, wherein the wakeboard has rear, rear quarter, front quarter and front, vane pairs along the laterally opposed sides that channel water towards the longitudinal axis of the wakeboard to provide directional stabilization for the wakeboard. The vane pairs enhance rider control and performance of the wakeboard during maneuvers without the use of fins or hydrofoils.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by hydrodynamic ridge devices for mounting in pairs on the bottom of existing small aquatic sports watercraft to define one or more channels that capture lateral water flow and redirect it longitudinally and thereby provide improved stability, speed, control, and performance of the watercraft. Each ridge device has an elongate main body portion with a short flat vertical side, a wide flat top side extending horizontally from the top edge of the vertical side generally perpendicular thereto terminating in a convex generally arcuate outer edge, and a convex curved bottom side. The short vertical side has an arcuate bottom edge that curves upwardly to a point at each end. The convex arcuate outer edge curves inwardly at each end to join the respective points at the ends of the vertical side, and the convex curved bottom side curves upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edge of the vertical side to adjoin the arcuate outer edge of the top side and the respective points at the ends of the vertical side. The top side is provided a peel and stick pressure sensitive layer for securing the ridge device to the bottom surface of the watercraft.